Coupling



March 15, 1949. u H, MAUND ET AL Y COUPLING Filed F'eb. 26, 1944 I N VENTORS HAROLD Mau/v0 HARA? V PE /rER @,Mvm

Arromvvs.

Patented Mar. 15, 1949 2,464,332 l ooUPLmG Harold Maund and HarryReiter, San Francisco,

Calif., assignors to Expediters Ltd., San Francisco, Calif., acopartnex'ship Application February 26, 1944, Serial No. 524,034

2 Claims.

This invention relates to f1xture, bulkhead and kickpipe tubes forproviding waterproof seals at the points where electrical conduits passthrough Walls of water-tight f1xture boxes, or through bulkheads ordecks.

At the present time in fixture boxes, bulkheads and decks theconventional seals are ordinary packing boxes having a female part intowhich is screwed the male packing gland. After the conduit, which may beof the armoured type, or which may have a woven metal sheath asindicated in the drawings hereinafter described, is passed through thepacking box the packing is wound around the conduit and is tamped intothe female part of the box. This winding and tamping continues until theoperator is of the opinion that enough packing is used, and then thegland is screwed into the boX to and into er1-v gagement with thepacking. If insufcient packing has been used, the gland is removed andmore packing is inserted and the gland is again screwed into place.After it appears likely that sufcient packing is in the box the same istested for leakage under a predetermined liquid pressure, the usualminimum pressure being about 8 lbs. per square inch. Should the packingfail at this pressure even after tightening the gland, the whole processof winding, tamping and screwing of the gland back into the box isrepeated after the gland is rst removed.

There is a great loss in time required to make a seal by the abovedescribed method where the installations are in a relatively open spaceand manipulation is easy, and this loss is magnified many times wherethe tubes may be close together and in relatively inaccessible places,as frequently occurs.

With our invention the above described laborious procedure is eliminatedand xture, bulkhead and kickpipe tubes are installed and sealed relativeto the electrical conduits in only a fraction of the time heretoforerequired.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of xture, bulkheadand kickpipe tubes, and the like, that overcome the objections ofconventional tubes as described above, and which tubes include animproved packing that is simple and easy to install and that is moreecient than conventional fibrous packing.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the description thatfollows, and in the drawings annexed hereto.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a part sectional, part elevational view of a fixture orbulkhead tube with the conduit extending therethrough and with such tubesecured to a f1xture box wall or bulkhead.

Fig. 2 is a part sectional, part elevational view of a kickpipe tubesecured on a deck, or the like, and showing the conduit extendingtherethrough.

Figs. 3, 4 are respectively an elevational side view and a verticalsectional View through one of the packing units used in Figs. l, 2.

In detail, the tube of Fig. 1 comprises an inner tubular member I thatis formed with a radially outwardly projecting flange 2 at one endthereof, which flange may be square or hexagonal for engagement by awrench. The member I is externally threaded andan intermediateinternally threaded sleeve 3 is threadedly secured thereon and projectsfrom the end of member I that is opposite flange 2.

Sleeve 3 is also externally threaded and may have a slight flange 4 atits end that is Iadjacent flange 2, which ilange may also be square orhexagonal in contour for engagement by a wrench. The opposite end ofsleeve 3 projects from the member I and is formed with a radiallyinwardly projecting rib B.

Threadedly secured on the projecting end of sleeve 3 is an internallythreaded tubular cap I that projects from said sleeve. The projectingend of cap 'I is formed with a radially inwardly projecting flange 8.

The rib 6 and flange 8 are preferably of about the same inside diameterand said diameter is preferably about the same as the inside diameter ofmember I, The adjacent sides 9, Iii of flange 8 and rib B respectively,are beveled to face generally toward their common central axis. Thediameter of rib 6, flange 8, and member I is such as to relativelyfreely pass an electrical conduit II.

In installing the tube assembly above described, the member I with agasket I2 and a washer I3 thereon may rst be inserted through an openingformed for such member in a wall I4.

'The gasket may be of synthetic rubber or a rubber-like resin and isadjacent wall I4 while the" washer is adjacent flange 2. Sleeve 3 maythen be threaded onto the end of member I that projects through saidwall I4, and a gasket I5 and washer I6 respectively similar to gasket I2and washer I3 may be positioned on member I between the ange 4 of sleeve3 and wall I4 with the gasket I5 adjacent said wall. Upon screwingsleeve 3 on member I until ilanges 2, 4 tightly compress the gasketsagainst wall I4, a tight waterproof seal is made between the wall andthe fixture or bulkhead tube, as the case may be.

The conduit II may be passed through the member I, sleeve 3, and cap 1,but before the latter is threaded onto sleeve 3 a split pressuredeformable packing ring I8 is positioned around the conduit and adjacentside I0 of rib t, or the ring may be in cap l and the latter on sleeve 3before the conduit is inserted provided the ring is not compressed"between theilange 3 'and rib '6.

The ring IB'has its ends beveled 'to correspond with sides 9, ID of ange8 and rib 6 respectively. Upon tightening the cap on the sleeve the ring'ris forced against the conduit, and as the material of the ring ispreferably a relatively soft, c'ld flowing plastic, such as may .beproduced from vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate tand lmarketed under thetrade-name of Vinylite, some of the material will be forced between thekradially7 facing edges of flange 8, rib B and the outer sides of theconduit II to insure a tight seal iat Lsuch edges. Ring I3 is alsopreferably split along convergent'lines I9 of yequal length ymeetingcentrally of the length of the .ring axially 'thereof .thus insuringequal pressure against "opposite endsof the `ring during zaxialcompressionof the latter.

In Fig. 2 is illustrated a kickpipe tube. These Ttubes are on decksin-axial alignment with holes therein for passage of electrical,conduits thereithrough. Inasmuch as vthe ltube, structurally, is

identical with the iixture rand bulkhead tube except for the provisionof a nut-like flange on 'the inner tubular member of the assembly, thesame l'members will be used except that which directly -designates saidinner tubular member, 'and which member is designated ZIlin Fig. 2.

This inner tubular member y2l] is welded at'one end to deck ZI bywelding 22 and the exteriorly zthreaded end remote from the welded endcar- -`ries the intermediate Asleeve 3 which in turn is formed with therib .6 that has lbeveled side |20 Ain engagement with one beveled end ofring I 8. The opposite end of ring I8 is adapted to engage Ythe beveledside 9 of flange 8 that'is -on the cap '1. Compression of ring I3 bytightening of Cap 'I on `Isleeve 3 forces the packing Vring into sealingenfgagement with conduit I I andthe materiallof the `ring is alsosqueezed between the radially inner edges of rib l, ange d and theoutersides 'of conduit Il.

The flange 4 on sleeve 3 is merely `used in 'this form of invention forengagement-by wrench jaws to screw the sleeve on `member 2li, whereas inFig. 1 the flange served also as 'a backing for the lsealing gasket I5land washer 2l-Ii.

In actual practice, the tightening'of the -cap -1 "onsleeve 3 forcompressing the ring iI8 Abetween -rib `3 and ange -i?, readily andpractically Without exception provides a seal with the conduit II thatwill withstand a liquid pressure such as water, of from 30 to 40 lbs.persquare inch, which risfar above the minimum requirements for :sealsof this nature. 4

.Preferably gaskets 12, I5 of Fig. 1 are :of .the

fsame material as that of :ring I8 and the `washers may be of metal.

The proportions of the various elements may 'obviously be modiiied tosuit the circumstances, 'such as shortening or lengthening the membersL20, sleeve 3, or cap `'I.

Having thus described the invention, we claim:

" Number 1. A tube of the character described comprising an innerexteriorly threaded tubular member, an intermediate internally andexternally threaded sleeve threadedly secured on said member andprojecting from one end thereof, an outer interiorly threaded capthreadedly secured on said sleeve and projecting from the projectingfend 'of fthe latten the lprojecting ends of said fsleeve and `cap beingrespectively fformed with an annular radially inwardly projecting riband flange of substantially the same internal diameter as that of saidinner member, and an an- 'nlilar preformed pressure-deformable splitpacking ring `disposed between said flange and rib adapted to `be forcedradially inwardly against a 'iconduitada'pted to extend through saidmember sleeve and cap `upon screwing said cap on said sleeve, a radiallyoutwardly projecting flange on Asaid inner member and on said sleeve atthe ends thereof remote from the projecting end of fsaid sleeve forengagingopposite sides of a wall Ahaving an -opening vthrough which saidtubular member is adapted to extend, the adjacent 4sides rof said riband saidflange being beveled to `face generally toward their commoncentral axis, yand -said packing .ring being a compound of vinylchloride and vinyl acetate, and said ring being split along divergentlines of equal length meeting centrally of the length of said ringaxially thereof and terminating at l.points along the beveled end edgesof said ring that are opposite each other.

2. A tube of .the character described compris- .ing a rst tubularmember'formed with a radially 'inwardly projecting annular vflange atone end thereof yand interiorly threaded at the opposite end, a secondtubular member externally threaded at one end and threadedly engaged atsaid one end with the interior threads on said first tubular member,means lat the opposite end of said .second tubular member adapted forsecuring the llatter to 1.a wall in .axial lalignment with a holeyformed in such wall, theend of said second mem- "ber adjacent-saidflange and the side of said ange `adjacent said end being beveled toface generally toward the common axis .of said members, an annularpreformed .pressure-deformable packing ring of resilient Waterproofplastic composition material between the ysaid beveled surfacesA havingopposite outwardly axially Ifacing surfaces substantially conforming incontour to the `said 'beveled-surfaces, said ring being split alongdiver- .gent lines of equal length meeting centrally o'f the length ofsaid ring axially thereof and terminating at points along the lateraledges of said ring that are opposite each other.

HAROLD MAUND.

HARRY REITER.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 473,461 `Hogan Apr. 26,y1892 '738,503 Waters Sept. 1903 1,391,393 McMurtrie Sept. 20, 19211,755,104 Deierlein Apr. `15, 1930

